1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to debris removal apparatus and methods and more particularly to a vacuum operated debris removal apparatus and method for use in connection with a power broom.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Most industrial and commercial buildings have generally flat roofs which are surfaced with a waterproof sealer such as tar or the like and covered with a coating of gravel. Periodically, such roofs require resurfacing. In order to resurface such a roof, it is first necessary to remove all dirt, debris, and excess gravel so that there will be a clean surface to permit adequate bonding of resurfacing materials.
Traditionally, roofs are cleaned manually by the use of brooms, shovels, and wheelbarrows to remove the gravel, dirt, and debris from the surface of the roof. This is a time consuming and laborious process and involves a substantial expense in labor. Moreover, the broom, shovel, and wheelbarrow method results in an imperfectly cleaned surface and produces large amounts of dust in the air, which is a health hazard to laborers.
One improvement in the hand cleaning operation heretofore developed is the use of a vacuum apparatus for removing gravel from roofs. In such an apparatus, an inlet nozzle, either carried by hand or mounted on a wheeled cart, is rolled across the roof, and gravel or the like picked up by the vacuum apparatus is conveyed through a long hose to a vacuum apparatus positioned on the ground. The vacuum apparatus includes a pump for drawing a vacuum in the line and a separating apparatus for separating the gravel and debris from the air conveyed through the line. Typically, the separator is mounted directly over a dump truck so that the gravel can be discharged directly into the dump truck.
As an alternative to sweeping up debris by hand, many contractors use a device commonly known as a power broom. A power broom is a motorized device wherein a rotating cylindrical brush mounted on the front of the frame brushes the gravel and debris in a forward direction from the power broom. Power brooms are relatively powerful devices and produce great clouds of dust, debris, and gravel in front of the power broom as the power broom is moved across the roof surface. This produces air pollution and constitutes a significant dust hazard to the operator of the apparatus, as well as anyone else in the area.
Generally, the brush of a power broom is positioned at an angle with respect to the direction of movement of the power broom so that gravel and debris is piled up in a row next to the path of the power broom. After the power broom has piled the gravel up in rows, the gravel is removed from the roof manually by use of shovels and wheelbarrows.
An object of the present invention is to provide a method and apparatus for cleaning a roof surface with the power broom, wherein gravel and debris swept up by the broom are removed effectively from the surface without manual labor, and dust emission from the power broom is minimized.